Exodus
by Anaiya
Summary: Two decades have passed in what was like a blink of an eye. A lone figure reawakens the darkness, which was sealed when the Pharaoh departed into the after life. These sacred objects will become the only tool in combating the malice that has stirred.
1. Chapter 1

Ryou could sense it. At first, he thought he was imagining things; paranoia. For it would not have been the first time he entertained this illusion. However, this was no figment of the imagination. Now, Ryou could clearly feel it. 

_He_ was here.

That thought alone was enough to cause Ryou's blood to run cold. Once again, here he was, completely and utterly helpless.

_At his mercy once more._

There was no sense in running, or so that was what he was told ages ago. Back then, he had been weak. He had given in too easily. Well, no more! No matter the cost, Ryou would fight!

"You can't take me," he softly told the familiar presence, yet it held a firmness the spirit had never heard before. "It is all over, y-you…you lost."

Laughter echoed from all directions, a shiver crept up Ryou's spine when he heard him speak. "You are more pathetic if you think your resistance will deter me from my mission."

Like the laughter, the wind came out of nowhere, blowing in all around the petrified boy. Objects shot across the room, some of them crashing into the wall and shattering, others flying right for Ryou himself. 

"I was made a promise. A promise I fully intend to have kept."

_There is no running from destiny… _

The last thing Ryou Bakura had saw was a lamp crashing into his head, causing the world to become black. The fight had ended for Ryou all too soon.

_…it will begin again. _

That day was twenty years ago…

A pair of ice blue eyes stared at the tomb that lay before her. So this was really the resting place…? Of course it was, _their_ whispers turned into frantic shouts the moment she stepped foot into the village of the dead.

Pausing at the foot of the tomb, the pilgrim covered her nose to ward of the stench caused by the Treasures; they were stained with their blood—her blood as well. There was still time for the pilgrim to turn back. For a brief moment, the she considered it.

Along with her ever-present ancestors, the pilgrim could sense the presence of another malevolent force. That force alone was enough for the pilgrim to muster up the strength to continue the descent down the stairs to where the ancient items were supposed to be laid to rest for all eternity.

Once her feet reached the stairs, the pilgrim set her hand down on the object she knew she was destined for. Fingers making contact, she flinched. The smell of blood and flesh was overwhelming.

Soon the smell finally overcame her. Leaning forward, the pilgrim heaved until she was retching. She knew if she did not get away from the Sennen Items soon, this tomb would become her own.

_You are the betrayer of hope,_ the spirits accused ._You were the one promised to avenge us!_

Quickly pilgrim snatched the Item out of its resting place. With that, she had secured her fate. It was not until she had left the tomb did the pilgrim clip the Sennen Tauk to her neck. The dead could accuse her all they pleased but if she did not act, the world would be damned.

- - -

While the spirit of the Sennen Ring no longer was connected to this physical world, he watched the events unfold in the tomb. Had he a body, a smirk would have played across his lips. Finally, his destiny was being fulfilled.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Important note: This Fic is written by three different authors. All three of us have divided the characters amongst ourselves and we write each character into a story. If you don't understand it, you will in the next chapter. The prologue, however, was written by only one of the authors—Sapphira.

As mentioned in the summary, twenty years have passed. So that means that each character has lives of their own. In the first chapter, there will be a brief summary to say what happened to each of the character of Yu-Gi-Oh.

Hope this makes sense….


	2. Chapter 2

The Bridge to The Past:

Yugi Motuo: After Atem's spirit could finally find peace; he and Anzu finally became a couple and eventually married. After years on end of no children, it seemed that Anzu was barren until one day, she conceived and bore a son they named Yuuki. Yugi went on to play games and once his grandfather passed on, Yugi took up the gaming shop, which soon gained a high reputation for being owned by the King of Games.

Anzu Mazaki: Once Atem left, Anzu's budding feelings for Yugi finally withered. In her dreams, she always saw Atem once more. Finally, thinking that Yugi was the closest thing she could get to the Pharaoh, she and Yugi became a couple, much to Anzu's chagrin. After their wedding, Anzu's dreams involving the lost Pharaoh finally came to an end. After three years into their marriage, Anzu never conceived until one night, she experienced a very strange and vivid dream. The next month she discovered she was with child.

Katsuya Jounouchi: eventually became a very successful gambler. While he and Mai never admitted their feelings for one another, they were intimate on several occasions. Their relationship came to an abrupt end when Jounouchi met Azakage Tiffany, a half-Japanese half-Canadian aspiring model. They married and had a child. Mai never told Jounouchi that she was pregnant.

Bakura Ryou: Took over charge of the Domino City museum. He married a woman named Miaka and fathered two children, Amane whom Ryou named after his sister and son named Kazuya. Two years ago, Miaka died in a car accident.

There was a period before Ryou met Mika that he never talks about. One morning, Ryou simply woke up in his apartment and discovered that three months have passed. The events shortly before his black out have also been completely erased from his memory. .

Malik Ishtar: Surprisingly for everyone, Marik returned from Egypt and continued to run his black market business. After he fathered a son named Azrael, he eventually married his mother.

Seto Kaiba: Came back and ran his company. Once Mokuba was old enough, he declared him to be his successor. Eventually, he fathered two children by a woman named Amira al-Hassen, a socialite. There was no love in the relationship and Amira soon ran off after giving birth to Seto's youngest daughter.

Hiroto Honda and Ryuji Otogi: He and Otogi eventually gave up their purist of Shizuka and both moved on with their lives. Neither had children.

- - -

Chapter One: Present Day

The pilgrim tapped into the power of the Necklace. Today would begin either humanity's greatest victory or its downfall. Unfortunately, the power of the Sennen Item could not tell her which.

- - -

Ever since Mika's death, Ryou had taken on the responsibility of getting the children up and ready for school. Always, he had made it a habit to pack Kazuya and Amane's lunch to their specific likings.

Next, he left a selection of cereal out for them to choose. While his father may criticize him for pampering his children, Ryou always did for his children what he was deprived of growing up.

Going up the steps, the first door Ryou stopped at was Kazuya's. He knocked twice on it before he opened it. "Good morning," he said kindly.

Kazuya finished tidying up his uniform as he heard the soft knocks on his door and someone saying "Good Morning" and a familiar face peering in.

"Good Morning, father," he responded, giving a slight smile to Ryou. "I just finished getting ready, so I'll grab my backpack and go eat breakfast," he announced in a quiet voice that was uncannily similar to his father's.

"I'll be down in five minutes," Amane said dully before her father could knock, not bothering to even glance up from her Physics textbook. She'd been up since two and, having else nothing better to do before breakfast after she'd finish dressing, Amane decided to finish the book and therefore not have to read it anymore this year. If this happened again the next day she intended to have her Psychology text waiting on her bedside table.

After finishing the last page of the index (now she could truly say she'd read it cover to cover), Amane shut the book and placed it on the bookshelf above her head. Her father continually tried to convince her that having a bookshelf at the head of her bed was dangerous, but Amane always shrugged and responded, "then the people who say I'm going to die with my head in a book will be happy."

Once she was finished stacking the volume neatly on the pile, she picked up the two folders, hers and Tamako's, of assignments due today. Stuffing them in her backpack, she took two blank mini-cassette tapes out of the box of thirty and put them in her pocket before heading downstairs.

Seeing his sister come down the stairs, Kazuya greeted her with a quiet "good morning". Eating his healthy cereal for breakfast, he soon finished and put his bowl in the sink neatly, spoon along with it.

Grabbing his backpack again, he gave his father a nice good bye and a hug before he went out the door to walk to school. Luckily, Domino High School wasn't too far from his house, nor was the Kame Game shop that he would be visiting after school.

Amane was a girl after her namesake. Just like his sister, the girl immersed herself in her studies. That knowledge alone brought a small smile to his face. If only he could get closer to her…

Yet, both of his children had inherited one thing from his late wife: a normal life. And for that, Ryou could not have been happier. Seeing that he got both of them awake and off to school, he quickly prepared for the long day of work ahead of him.

- - -

"Good morning, Kaiba-sama," the woman who dubbed herself as Alanna Kaiba's assistant immediately greeted once the woman herself opened the door to her room. Exactly at seven o'clock in the morning, just like clockwork.

"You have dinner with your father after school, ma'am. You and your sister's outfits have been picked out for the occasion."

"The occasion?" Alanna questioned. Even now, after all these years, the girl's resemblance to her father was uncanny.

"Business dinner, ma'am," the woman replied smoothly. As if checking something off of the list, the woman rambled on her daily agenda. Nothing unusual there, Alanna thought dully as she toyed with a ringlet of her brown hair.

"Thank you, Kanna-san," Alanna said politely. "Will you please fetch my sister?"

"Right away, ma'am," the yes-woman said.

The irony scent of burning corpses, hums of blades and bows, and thick smoke covered everything. Cries of anguish and exclamations of victory. Children scattered everywhere, trying to escape the carnage. Several youths began scaling the walls, and she rose to join them when--"beepbeepgetthefuckupbeepbeepgetthefuckupbeep!"

Tamako stared at the incessant, and decidedly rude, creature with oddly shaped, glowing, red eyes, "...must have arrived sometime in the night."

After a moment's contemplation, she picked up the seemingly delicate creature and tossed it out the window. Then she collapsed on her bed again and promptly dropped back into her story.

The woman known as Kanna Hikari knocked firmly on the door of the youngest Kaiba child. "Tamako-sama," she called softly. The girl always reminded Hikari of herself when she was a teenager, hence why she was always more patient with her than her boss's carbon copy. "Wake up call."

Tamako shot up at the sound. The assassin was approaching. Moving with silent swiftness, she armed herself with her crossbow, did a diving roll across her bed, and took cover behind. Carefully she took aim, eyes trained on the door, she waited.

She heard more than saw the door begin to open after awhile and smirked, "no ones taking my head so easily." Without another moment's hesitation, she opened fire.

Alanna lost all patience when she heard Hikari's shriek. With a quick glance out the window, the girl determined one thing after seeing the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky: it would be a horrible day.

Promptly, the eldest Kaiba child marched down the hall and as gently as she could, shoved her caretaker out of the way so she could have full access to her sister. "She shot me!" Hikari screeched once she could find the voice.

"She has a good aim then," Alanna replied indifferently as she roughly seized her sister's shoulders. "You will not make me late," she told her sister firmly whether she was awake or not. Just to make sure, Alanna gave her a firm shake.

If Alanna missed her perfect attendance over this little twit, so help her…

- - -

On the other side of town, Jounouchi Seira pushed the snooze alarm for the sixth time. She didn't want to go to school, but her bitch mother wouldn't let her fly on the excuse of cramps.

Sighing distastefully, Seira switched the alarm off. Slipping out of bed, Seira did her daily ritual of getting ready for school. While she studied her reflection in the mirror, she looked down at her Domino City School uniform. Reaching down, she hiked up her skirt slightly.

Hearing a knock on the door, Seira rolled her eyes. "I'm coming! Give me a minute!" She called out roughly. Couldn't she get a moment's privacy in this house? "I'm walking to school anyway, so you don't have to give me a ride."

Like she would want to be seen at school with her dumb dad?

- - -

For the love of God!" Yuuki tried to stuff his pillows into his ears, "do they ever stop!"  
He doubted it even as he said it. Anzu and the guy with the ridiculous haircut (and coming from the son of the famous, tri-color haired Yugi Motuo, this meant something) had barely had the self-control when coming back this morning to make it to her room. He knew this because they set off the shop alarm on their way in and woke him. Yuuki had been relieved when the pair finally made it past the shop; the last image he needed while ringing up a purchase was his mother and that guy next to Baby Dragon on the counter.

As the screams and "WHAM"-ing sounds increased in volume and frequency, Yuuki tried to bury his head in the mattress. He was seriously considering sleeping in the shop that night. Sleeping bag, pillow, electric blanket, an alarm clock: he'd be good to go. Or at least sleep in the living room.

Yuuki was both dreading and praying for his alarm to go off. He knew he'd wouldn't be able to stay awake in class and would probably get detention, but at the same time, he couldn't stay here. It wasn't that Anzu would yell at him for skipping, it was just that he wouldn't get any sleep or work down here with those two around. He'd have to look for a nice bench or something in the park.

He wished his father would get those contest planner people in America off his ass soon and come home. When Yugi was home, Anzu was at least discreet.

- - -

Twelve year-old Azrael Ishtar finished his breakfast of waffles and rinsed his plate before putting it in the dishwasher.

Going off to find his book bag, he soon returned with it and then went over to his father and gave him a hug. "Tell mother I love her when she wakes up," he said to his father politely, "and I love you, too."

Pulling away slowly, Azrael started off on his was to school.

'Azrael only has a couple more years of middle school before he will be in high school, but he almost seems like a high school student with how organized he could be,' Malik thought priding to himself about his son. He watched as Azrael walked out of the door and closed it behind himself before turning to go back into the master bedroom.

- - -

Maiko sat by the school entrance, waiting for the doors to be opened. Her first day as a first year at Domino High, since her mother transferred her from the other high school.

"Remember, you might meet your father around this school." her mother told her before she said her goodbyes and drove off in her convertible to work.

Opening her eyes that new memory filled her with a deep hope that her father would show up and accept the fact that he had a child with her mother that he accidentally ran out on. She would become the star child in her father's life and make sure that whatever child he had with that other woman would be left in her dust. She wanted her father all to herself as far a fatherly love.

Seira stubbed out her daily cigarettes before rolling her eyes from her friends to the direction of Maiko. "New comer," she muttered. Crumpling the rest of the cigarette up with her shoe before a teacher could come by and see.

Quickly losing interest in the girl, Seira took out her compact to check her reflection real quick. She snorted when one of her male friends had the audacity to say that the girl was rather good looking. Fucking traitor.

Focusing on her reflection, the girl closed the compact as hard as she could. It was always the same. The same brown hair framing the perfect heart shaped face set with jewel like emerald green eyes. Any other girl would have smiled at such a face instead of scoffing. Katsuya Seira had it all, a wealthy family, good parents, a nice upbringing, brains and looks.

To her, nothing like that mattered. She wanted _more_. Looking back at the newcomer, Seira narrowed her eyes. She would have to do for now. "And you know what we do with pretty girls?" She asked sweetly.

The group looked over at the so-called golden girl of class 1-C, expecting a response other than they received. "We befriend them of course," she replied sweetly.

Walking along, Seira gave Maiko her award-winning smile. "Hiya!" She said cheerfully. "You look new. Want me to show you around?"

Looking up at the approaching person, Maiko smiled. The girl coming towards her looked so gorgeous. She noticed that the skirt was a little high and made a side note that the girl probably could have made her appearance slightly more modest, rather than making herself look too easy. Besides, it was all in the way you dress that shows how easy you are. Her mother always told her that.

"Hello," Maiko replied, a gentle smile crossing her face, "If you aren't too busy, otherwise I can do it myself."

Standing up, she brushed the dust from the back of her skirt and flipped her long, golden locks behind her shoulders. Her eyes, their normal brown color today, examined the girl that stood before her.

"You're pretty," she complimented the girl, hoping she would have a new friend. She didn't want to become lonely like her mother had become so many times. Shifting the weight of her backpack a little, she offered her hand to shake. "My name is Maiko Kujaku."

"Cute name," Seira purred. "I'm Jounouchi Seira, by the way." Leading the girl into the building, Seira went through the motions of showing the new girl around. Finally, she came upon the door marked 1-C. "That's my homeroom, by the way," she chirped. "I'm class president."

Maiko barely paid attention to most of what Seira said as they went around the school. She at least pretended to be paying attention.

'She didn't just say Jounouchi, it has to be a coincidence," she thought. There was no way that this girl could be her younger half-sister.

When the tour was over, she said to Seira, "I have to go to the school office about where my homeroom is." She turned and went towards the office. 'Then I will have to show her up. I'll steal my father's love away from her.'

- - -

Yuuki was positively dragging by the time he escaped the confines of his "home." He hadn't realized just how much sleep he had lost these last few days until now. Every movement hardly seemed worth the effort it took, his backpack and clothing felt as though they had been supersaturated and now were unbearably heavy. Even the twenty his mom had shoved in his hand on his way out the door felt like an unnecessary weight.

He needed a place to crash, screw school, as much as he had been enjoying his classes so far. He needed a break, from school, home, work, Anzu...Damn, all Yuuki wanted was someone to talk to about this. Yes, technically he had talked to people, for a long time, but Yuuki knew his friends so well, and they him, that none of their suggestions were...what word did he want, new?

"Who cares," he responded to himself, "there's no one left to take a new point of view on this, all I can do is try to keep going." And school wasn't going to help today, he needed rest. Undisturbed, zero-brain activity rest.

Yuuki walked into Domino Park.

"...ugh, that boy is going to give me maternal instincts," Amane muttered distastefully as she observed a half-dead Yuuki attempt to enter Domino park rather than the bus terminal. Three times. The first time he walked into the frame of the gate's entrance. Then the frame on the other side. Amane had never understood how people could do things like that and not react. On the other hand, she knew people wondered how she could be so nonchalant about things they apparently found exciting, so she supposed this was an even trade.

Sighing, Amane followed the zombie, pulling out a quarter as she did so. Heads, she'd drag him back to school by the seat of his pants, tails, by his nostrils. As much as she pitied his situation, she didn't see this as a alternative to school, where his classes could distract him. Besides, Domino Park was not exactly the safest place to snooze, and Yuuki was admittedly a cute boy. This was the best thing Amane could do for him right now.

She tossed the coin, caught it, and flipped it onto her arm, "Damn..."

Terra quietly made her way through the park on her way to school. According to the map, cutting across the park would be the easiest route to school. After all, no one liked to be late on their first day of a school...in a foreign country.

_He's here!_

He? Terra thought, the color draining from her face. Quickly, her sapphire eyes scanned across the park. The one her forefathers were referring to stood out in what seemed to be a beacon of light. Seeing him, a cold shiver involuntarily crept up her spine.

_The blood of the Wretched still flows…_

In order to avoid notice, Terra quickly moved on. Having them once more announce their desires for her to be their angel of death was the one risk she took by coming here.

School, Terra thought, yes she had to get to school. The only predictable thing with them was the fact they always seemed to quiet down once she came to school. With luck, they will do it again.

- - -

Seto Kaiba was seriously beginning to wonder who was in charge here.

It was bad enough he'd inedvertedly turned Alanna into too perfect of an heir. Mokuba told him it was just his paranoia (as though he had no reason for it!), but Seto feared her skills and confidence might lead her to take legal action and come into her position early.

It was worse that his other daughter (oh, what had he called her?) was showing signs of some kind of mental illness, according to the household staff. Her disinterest, though no lack of aptitude, had already proved her incapable of maintaining Kaiba Corp, but he didn't need the bad press blaming her condition on her raising. If anyone's, it was the household's fault, he never had the time to breed her, and therefore her situation was the result of the manner in which those who had been near her cared for her. But if she had to go to sort of crackpot clinic, all the press' arrows would be pointed at him.

And, when he thought he could not be buried in anymore shit, what happens? Mokuba phones from grad school to tell Seto he's hired someone to make sure Seto takes care of himself. Seto had sat with his cell to his ear long after the boy had hung up, thinking over and over, _what the fuck_?

A babysitter. His little brother had hired a babysitter to keep an eye on him. Oh, this was going to be hell. He would not stand for it. As soon as he reached his office, he was kicking this person out. He didn't care what Mokuba would think, he wasn't allowing this.

Hand latching tightly to the knob, Seto swung the door open so hard it crashed against the door. He smirked, expecting his "sitter" to be startled, but the smirk faded as soon as he saw whom he was dealing with.

There, standing, poised, behind his desk, shuffling papers into a neat stack, was a young woman with long chestnut hair. She glanced--glanced--up at him, smiled, and stood up straight,  
"It is very nice to see you again, Kaiba-kun. I'm Jounouchi Shizuka, Katsuya's younger sister."

This could definitely be hell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter two:

After being rudely awakened and dragged to school by his nostrils, Yuuki finally was able to get Amane to let go.

"Oh hell, Amane..." He complained as he rubbed his abused nose. "Can't I slack off just once? I think we can both agree I deserve it."

Amane gave a derisive snort, "Hardly," then, after glancing briefly at her fingertips, rubbed them in Yuuki's hair. "You have plenty of options, yet you decide to do nothing. I fail to see how doing nothing merits missing the first day of the new semester."

Yuuki was to exhausted to register she had just rubbed his mucus into his scalp, "Huh?"

"It's second semester, Yuuki, I will hardly let you spend it sleeping on a park bench."

"I'm sure I'll thank you someday."

"Doubtful," Amane threw a glance down the street, "your ego wouldn't allow it. Ahh, here's Tamako."

"Great," Yuuki muttered as he watched the older girl take a diving roll reminiscent of something from James Bond out of a limo and stopping behind a bush. A bad day just wouldn't be complete without a disturbance from that nutcase.

Amane grinned as she watched Tamako covertly approach them. Tamako had such an excellent imagination. She finally reached them and went down on one knee next Amane. She could sense Yuuki shying away, as though Tamako were the Pestilence.

Taking Amane's hand without looking, Tamako began, "Leader, I have slain an assassin (Yuuki actually took a full step away) and gathered intelligence for you."

"Good, we'll discuss that later," Amane pulled out Tamako's folder, " here are the 'packages' you need to deliver today, sorted by designated color."

Tamako took the folder reverently, and brought Amane's hand to her forehead, "I'll not fail thee. I shall deliver these packages and gather more intelligence for thee even at the cost of my life."

"See that you do," Amane responded while handing Tamako the cassette tapes.

She accepted these just as gravely. Then the bell rang and all the students began entering the building. Tamako rose, bid the new recruit (a now petrified Yuuki) good luck, and ran to use every column and shadow as a means of entering the school unnoticed. Naturally, this only served to get her the attention of the entire student body.

Amane chuckled, "speaking of options, you could still--"

"For the last time, no," Yuuki interrupted peevishly, "I'm not crashing at the Kaiba's. I have a certain fondness for living."

- - -

Honda straightened his tie and looked at himself in the mirror. Not too shabby today. Hopefully Otogi would approve.

"But whyyyy, baby?" his partner whined from the bed and Honda winced. "Can't you stay a few more hours?"

"You know I can't," thank God, he added to himself, "its my fist day on the job, I can't be late."

The woman pouted, but Honda ignored her. Or tried anyway, but it's rather difficult to do when the one you're ignoring is literally hanging off you. Honestly, he thought to himself, what was I hoping to accomplish here?

"Sweetie..." he mentally cringed as he said it," you have to let go. I need to work. Just because I'm ...with you...doesn't mean I can mooch off Yugi. Let me go 'kay?"

Anzu sighed reluctantly and released him before going back to bed. Honda didn't waste anytime clearing out of there.

- - -

The King of Games thought he had finally finished all his Duel Monsters responsibilities, escaped the paparazzi, and avoided rabid fans and was about to take his seat—Isle 3, Seat B—when a very clever reporter popped out of the row behind him.

"Your Mr. Motuo, right? The 'King of Games', as they saw?" she didn't wait for him to confirm. "I'm Cynthia Craft, from the San Francisco Sun. There are a few questions I'd like to ask you," Ms. Craft pulled a notebook out of her purse and began shooting off questions randomly.

Yugi groaned. He could never get away from these people when he traveled. He sighed,

_Well, at least in a few hours I'll be back with my family_, he thought. The memory of their faces brought a smile to his, so he took a breath, and began to answer

- - -

Seto wanted nothing more than to pound his skull into the wood grain of his desk, but new SHE would come running if she heard. Instead, he settled with laying his forehead on it surface.

He just couldn't believe this. His own brother, after everything he did for the youth, didn't see him as capable of taking care of himself. It was pitiful. Worst of all, he couldn't get out of it. Mokuba hired the girl, so Seto couldn't fire her, and someone had removed the lock on his office door, so he couldn't keep her out.

Seto sighed. He couldn't believe he'd been dragged into something like this. On the upside, at least she wasn't an eyesore. Eventually she'd get tired of his attitude and leave, like his wife and even some stalkers. He just had to treat her like his lower employees and wait for her to get fed up with him. If she lasted over two days, then she's the reincarnation of Mother Theresa or something. If not, then she'd probably die, right?

- - -

Amane strolled into her homeroom, as utterly unexcited about the day as she always was. Life was so easy it got downright dull. She didn't look around the room as she claimed her window seat, knowing exactly what she'd see had she bothered--Iwamoto-sensei reading a newspaper and pretending he was anywhere else. She vaguely felt more than saw a new presence in the room, but it would make itself know eventually, no point wasting energy seeking it out.

Gazing out the window, Amane was greeted with the exact same scenery she had been observing for Lord knew how long. As her eyes raked over a bush for the umpteenth time, she blinked. Some...thing was behind it? Amane leaned closer to the glass, trying to make it out. Suddenly it moved!

Amane fought the urge to jump out of her seat, having a strange feeling that she didn't want to draw any attention. The shape, which had walked into the open, was a man it seemed, wearing a dark over coat and a hat that cast a shadow over his face. Amane could tell, however, that he was looking straight at her. The scalp seemed to tighten, and that was her only warning she had before her chest was enveloped in a searing pain.

She immediately doubled over, hugging herself, unsure of whether she was breathing, and not really caring anyway. Amane could only imagine this would be how it felt to be burning from the inside. Her heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, ribs--

"Bakura-san?"

--and it stopped. Amane panted for a moment, then pulled herself together, and looked at Iwamoto-sensei, "Yes, sensei?"

Hardly looking anymore concerned than his job required him to be, the man responded, "You look rather ill, perhaps you should go home."

Amane flashed a practiced smile," No, I'm fine, I'm just having...ah," Amane paused a bit and tried to look embarrassed, "woman problems, Sensei." He returned to his paper, having no interest in details—he never did.

For once thankful Iwamoto-sensei was one of the few bad teachers, Amane ran for the closet and shut herself in, confident no one would disturb her. Yanking her phone out of her back pocket, she franticly found her little brother's number in the directory and called him. She had such a bad feeling suddenly, and was praying everyone had their phones turned on vibrate.

- - -

Kazuya sat at his desk in his homeroom of 2-B. He pulled out his RPG books and read through them to create a map. He soon finished and decided to make another character. You can't ever have too many characters.

Soon finishing with that too, he sighed. How bored he felt. He looked at the clock. Well, Tamako should be here soon. Tamako was always funny and interesting.

"Present and accounted for, Sensei-sama!" Tamako had lept from her seat when her name was reached and now stood ramrod straight before her secondary commander. He gave her the tired look to an old man, then returned to his work, nodding to Tamako to be "at ease." She returned to her seat.

She was preparing her plan of attack for the day when suddenly there was a strange thrumming sound. It froze Tamako to the bone when she realized the only possible explanation.

"IT'S A BOMB!!!"

Kazuya watched Tamako with interest. The class was going into an uproar over her saying there was a bomb there, but he didn't move at all. He knew there wasn't a bomb around, Tamako was just over-reacting to something, as usual.

Feeling his cell phone vibrate, he went over to the sensei quickly and asked if he could go to the bathroom. Getting permission, he quickly went out of the room and answered the phone, just before his voicemail would have picked it up.

"Hello?" he asked curiously, darting down to the bathroom as fast as possible before he got caught on his phone.

- - -

Maiko entered the classroom that the office told her to be in. Looking up at the teacher, she told him she was the transfer student that was supposed to coming in today.

Scanning the classroom, she noticed that Seira was in this class. Part of her was cheering, thankful to take on the competition. The other part of her was sad to have to deal with her in the same class.

"I am Maiko Kujaku," she said, introducing herself to the class. Promptly taking a seat at the open desk, she was at least glad she was further away from Seira and behind her. Today she would see if it was true that Seira was her half-sister. If it proved to be so, then she'd start taking away her life the next day.

As soon as he could, Yuuki crawled under the desk to escape the chaos and light above. He had a study hall here next, and he intended to use it to gain a few hours of precious sleep. He curled into himself as much as he could, reminding himself of a roly-poly--bugs that rolled into balls when you poked them. Resting his head on his backpack, not giving a damn about when he woke up.

Seira could already tell that today was going to be boring. With Hidaka-sensei out of town until next month, there upon came a hoard of boring, ugly substitute teachers. If only Hidaka-sensei would return, his prescience alone would make it worthwhile to get up in the morning.

To her left, Seira spotted the sleeping form of Yuuki. No way. If she couldn't miss out on school, then neither could he. An idea came to her just as the door started to open, admitting their substitute teacher.

Carefully, as not to attract notice, Seira produced a pen from her backpack and jabbed in into Yuuki's side. If it meant detention for the golden boy, her bothering to come today would have been worth it.

Rubbing his side, Yuuki sat in his seat, murmuring something including the phrase "stick up your ass" in Seira's general direction. Then he directed his attention to the front of the classroom, and his blue eyes widened as if he were a deer caught in the headlights.

'Oh, good God, please tell me I'm hallucinating' he thought at he watch the last man on this earth he wanted to see begin role call.

"Suoh...Minimino...Takanaka...Motou?!"

Swallowing, Yuuki stood, "Present, Honda-sensei..."

- - -

After a few minutes, Amane shut her phone with a snap, rather bewildered. She was acting completely out of character; freaking out because of some guy (actually, her freaking out at all was rare), calling her brother to see if her was alright (he was), and, the real kicker, insisting they meet up after school and walk home together? What had gotten into her?

Amane shook her head hard, her long white braid banging against her shoulders. This behavior wouldn't help her accomplish anything. She had to remain calm, there really wasn't anything wrong. Honestly.

Taking a deep breath, Amane fixed her trademark kind, yet apathetic look on her face and opened the closet door. Time to demonstrate her superiority. Again.

A pair of sapphire blue eyes followed Amane to the closet and lingered there until the girl emerged She was the only one who took notice of her. If her assumptions were accurate then that girl would be more involved in the upcoming war than she felt comfortable with. She was already informed of the part Amane and Kazuya Bakura would play and that worried her deeply.

Once Iwamoto-sensei put down his newspaper, he signaled for her to come in front of the glass. Reluctantly, a girl with silvery blonde hair stood up and made her way in front of the classroom. Her hair cascaded around her slim frame, ending with a slight curl. A pale hand nervously brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Hello," she said with her lips turning upwards in the slightest of smiles. "My name is Terra Doran. Although I was born in America I make no claims in being an American for my mother, a pathologist was always traveling. So here I am."

With that speech out of the way, Terra sat back down in her assigned seat, thankful that she had been right in predicting that the voices of her ancestors, those murdered in the village of Kul Elna were silent once more.

She involuntarily glanced to the window, the Sennen Necklace told her already that _he_ would be here. May the light of heaven shelter them all – the battle already had begun.

- - -

A spirit awoke from it's short slumber, remembering events that happened merely a few years ago. He must have been returned to the world of the living for some reason. There was something important about to happen, and he had to stop it once again.

The kindred spirit appeared next to the stone tablet, dressed as a great Pharaoh. A name of a child came to him: Yuuki. He had to find this child, somehow make contact.

The fate of the world might depend on this attempt...


End file.
